Craig Bere is now in his fifth season as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. He helped guide a 2012 squad to a 19-12 overall record and a 10-10 markin conference action. Bere assistedsenior Monique Mead to her first AVCA third team All-American honor. Mead and teammate Bailey Hunter signed professionalcontracts after their senior campaigns. Mead signed with Las Gigantes in Puerto Rico and Hunter signed to play with Doprastav Bratislava in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The 2011 Tech team finished 15-16 and 8-7 in ACC play. Bere helped Monique Mead to her third consecutive All-American Honorable Mention accolade, as well as COBRA Magazine All-National honors.
Tech finished the 2010 season 18-14 and 11-9 in the ACC. Four more players earned all-conference honors, while senior Mary Ashley Tippins and Mead earned honorable mention All-American accolades. In addition, Mead was named to the U.S. Volleyball Women[apos]s National A2 Program roster for the second straight season.
In his first season in Atlanta, the Yellow Jackets compiled a 21-10 record and earned their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2004. The Jackets finished third in the ACC after being picked eighth in the preseason poll with a 15-5 conference record. Bere coached two AVCA honorable mention All-Americans, the ACC Freshman of the Year and three All-ACC picks.
In 2010, Tech finished 18-14 and 11-9 in the ACC. Four more players earned all-conference honors, while senior Mary Ashley Tippins and sophomore Monique Mead earned honorable mention All-American accolades. In addition, Mead was named to the U.S. Volleyball Women[apos]s National A2 Program roster for the second straight season.
Prior to arriving at Georgia Tech, Bere spent two seasons on the Louisville staff following a successful stint as an assistant at LSU from 2004-2006. He has been a part of an NCAA Tournament team each of the last five years, including both seasons at Louisville and his first season at Georgia Tech. In his final season at Louisville, the Cardinals received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by capturing the 2008 BIG EAST title, one year after finishing as the runner-up in the 2007 BIG EAST Tournament.
Prior to his appointment at Louisville, Bere was responsible for game strategy, recruiting and practice planning for three years under LSU head coach Fran Flory. He helped guide the Tigers back to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 following a 13-year hiatus, while LSU captured a share of its first Southeastern Conference Western Division title in school history the same season. The following year, LSU repeated as SEC Western Division champions and made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Under his tutelage, setters Daniela Romero and Heather Fierce both ranked in the top 10 in the league in assists per game, while LSU posted the fourth-best hitting percentage in the SEC in 2005.
Bere returned to Division I volleyball at LSU following a successful stint as the head coach at Southern Indiana, where he posted a 47-17 record in two seasons. He guided the Screaming Eagles to their first bid in the NCAA Division II Tournament after capturing the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament crown in 2002, and came within three points of a repeat GLVC title and tournament berth the following season. His .734 winning percentage at Southern Indiana still ranks as the third-best winning percentage in the school[apos]s history.
Southern Indiana setter Kim Boehmer became the first Screaming Eagle to receive All-America honors when she was named to the honorable mention squad in Bere[apos]s first season at USI. She also received first-team All-GLVC honors in 2002 and 2003, while Kristi Kavanaugh earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors under Bere.
Bere began his coaching career at Morehead State, where he served as a student assistant in 1993 before being promoted to full-time assistant coach for the 1994 season. While on staff with the Eagles, Morehead State captured the 1993 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and finished as the runner-up in the regular season OVC race in 1994. The Eagles also returned to the title match of the 1995 OVC Tournament, taking runner-up honors.
Following his tenure at Morehead State, Bere joined the Mississippi State staff, where he served as an assistant coach from 1997-2001. There he was responsible for coordinating the Bulldog defense while working closely with Mississippi State[apos]s outside hitters. Bere also headed up the team[apos]s recruiting efforts while performing additional administrative duties off the court.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Bere attended Morehead State, where he was a three-year letterwinner on the Eagle football team and a six-year member of the men[apos]s volleyball club team, which led him to a career in college coaching. Bere earned his degree in Health from Morehead State in 1995 and went on to receive his Masters in Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1997.
A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Bere has served as a camp instructor in summer volleyball camps in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana and Michigan. He is married to the former Shannon Krebs, and the couple has one son, Blake.